Wildcats rely on balanced attack to subdue Bengals

Unselfish ball control continued to pay dividends for Westport on Tuesday night. With a proficient offense by committee, the Wildcats defeated the Diman Bengals, 64-38, in boys' basketball at Diman Regional High School. The win secures a spot for Westport (10-6) in the Division III MIAA basketball tournament.

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By Connor BerubeCorrespondent

The Herald News, Fall River, MA

By Connor BerubeCorrespondent

Posted Feb. 4, 2014 at 9:25 PM
Updated Feb 5, 2014 at 8:38 PM

By Connor BerubeCorrespondent

Posted Feb. 4, 2014 at 9:25 PM
Updated Feb 5, 2014 at 8:38 PM

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Unselfish ball control continued to pay dividends for Westport on Tuesday night.

With a proficient offense by committee, the Wildcats defeated the Diman Bengals, 64-38, in boys' basketball at Diman Regional High School. The win secures a spot for Westport (10-6) in the Division III MIAA basketball tournament.

The Wildcats had no problem with carrying out a widespread offensive attack. Alex Machairas led Westport with 10 points and Chad Willard netted nine. Chris Silvia tallied 8 points to go with seven rebounds, and senior Richie Hartnett finished with seven points, along with five rebounds and assists.

"What's great is that our best players on the team are willing to share the ball and they don't care about 1,000-point scoring or anything like that," said Westport head coach Scot Boudria. "It's more like they care about winning the game and getting everyone involved."

Westport sizzled out of the gate, hitting their first 6-of-7 from the field and scampering to an 11-2 advantage just two minutes into the contest. Tommy Yeargin, Hartnett, Willard, and Machairas all drained 3's for the Wildcats in the first quarter, as they led the Bengals by a score of 22-9.

Westport continued to impress in the second, outscoring Diman 14-5 and headed into the locker room up 36-14. While the Bengals (3-12) had shooting troubles (6-for-21), they were able to force seven turnovers.

"When you can get over 60 points and only have one person score double-digits, it becomes tough for the opposing team," said Boudria.

In his first varsity game, Devin Victorino impressed off the bench for the Wildcats, scoring all seven of his points in the third quarter. Matt Feliz was productive for Diman, grabbing nine of his 10 points in the same time span.

Westport shot 7-for-11 and carried a 26-point cushion (51-25) into the final eight minutes.

"I think we're getting better. Every game we're improving," said Boudria. "We're in the doldrums of the season now, most players tend to get tired and lose focus and concentration. We played well today and shot very well, but you can always improve."

In the fourth, both teams matched one another with 13 points. Diman's Austin Crowninshield saved his best shots for last, knocking a pair of 3's and grabbing nine points overall. He would go on to score a game-high 15 points.

Yeargin and Jacob Bailey each chipped in 5 for the Wildcats, who host non-league Brockton today.